Tuesday, April 16, 2013

It's officially Spring

You know it must be Spring when you bring out your tools


then you roll out the summer tires you had in the basement


then you bring out your hydraulic jack and plug in your compressor .   Check and fill your tires to the correct pressure


jack up your car and start switching the winter tires with the summer tires


I also had an excuse to use my new wheel lug remover/tire iron


which can also turn into a heavy duty 3/8" drive T-bar


It has a sliding bar where you can move to gain more leverage, if needed .   It didn't take very long as I had help.   I was at work when my phone rang.  It was our son.  He asked if I wanted to change my tires when I got home.   If so, he would get everything out for me to make it easier.   He rolled all the summer tires out


and he rolled all the winter tires back into our basement and stacked them in a neat pile.   This bi-annual task was done in around an hour.   I decided to drag out my hose and a bucket of soap and wash my windows, headlights and wheels


It must be Spring.  No sign of snow and I'm rolling on summer tires . . .


34 comments:

  1. Who cares about the tires? I love the block and gravel patio on the laneway house, and the fact that your son was so willing to help! Very nice.

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    1. Lori:

      I nearly didn't believe my ears on Sunday when he mentioned about helping me dig all the tools out to change my tires after work one day this week. It sure made it easy. I was going to change them myself on the Weekend but it takes me a lot of time to move the tires back and forth. I get out of breath easily these days.

      Those cement blocks are very nice. I have to buy a couple of more so I can change the pattern a bit. I also have to ride my bike(s) over our gravel driveway to get in and out.

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  2. Why do you have winter tires? Most people here don't even have winter tires, just good all-season tires.

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    1. Martha:

      Read THIS

      it doesn't have anything to do with snow. Summer tires are not designed to be used under 7°c , the rubber turns hard like "hockey pucks" and you lose traction. Winter tires lose traction above +7°c so the past few days I have been "slipping" a bit, plus they wear out much faster on dry roads. I have always had separate rims for my snow tires and it is more convenient to change them at home, rather than pay someone else to do it. That's why I have the air compressor. Up here it is against the law to only have two snow tires, so that's why I have a full set of four. Winter tires also channel water away faster to minimize hydroplaning, so they are much safer for our wet conditions

      All season tires are a compromise. I have performance summer tires and they are NOT all season. When the temperatures are low (ie; under 7°c), I notice a lot of slippage so that's when I swap out to the winter set

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  3. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    1. OR:

      thanks for stopping by. I hope you have a good time in Israel and post up some photos. I didn't know you liked rockclimbing ?

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  4. I think you might be right that spring is here. It seems like it has been a long time coming.

    For me, one of the first vehicle signs of spring is cleaning INSIDE the car. There is mud, salt stains, puddles of snow, gravel, hats, mitts, gloves, skates, and random detritus from 6 months of it being too cold to lug the vacuum outside to have the car cleaned.

    What are some of your other spring traditions?

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    1. DD:

      Spring is here when the temps seem to be above freezing at nights and I change my tires. I have a portable vacuum which uses those battery packs. The same battery also powers my drill, circular saw and worklight, so really I can vacuum anytime. They seldom use salt around here so no salt stains.

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  5. I thought that the definition of Spring was when you took the red car out of storage. That is an interesting version of a tire iron. I like the design and packaging. Takes much less room than the normal version. BTW, it looks like it's 1/2" drive, plus for the torque needed on some vehicles.

    I'm with Lori, where are the pictures of the addition? That looks like a really nice drive...

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    1. Richard:

      I think you are RIGHT again ! that was a 1/2" T-bar/tire iron. I like it. The T part can move to the end to give more leverage, and we also have a piece of stainless tube to put over the handle for even more leverage, if needed. I have an actual T-bar/spanner but it is bulky because it is a "cross" shape. This one comes apart and fits into it's own case. It is very heavy duty.

      I think it's THIS ONE

      cheap and comes apart. You don't need the case if you need the room. Has double sockets to cover most lug nut sizes

      I also bought a telescopic, flexhead ratchet to carry on my Beemer along with a set of Torks, for my Summer trip.

      I think it's THIS ONE

      I could have given it to DOM for personalized delivery


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  6. Can it really be Spring if you didn't change the tires in your bare feel or wearing your pink Crocs?

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    1. Trobairitz:

      I was wondering if anyone noticed ? Only you . . . I put those on for the photo. They are Soloman Amphibious type runners. Full mesh that you wear without socks when you are walking in rivers or streams. These would be good for traveling. Didn't want anyone to think I didn't own shoes

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  7. Bob,
    Those patio blocks and gravel are beautiful.....very striking! I think I like those even more than the lug wrench and I'm quite taken with that; never seen one like it before. It beats my old 4-way every which way.

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    1. Coop:

      thank you. Those cement blocks are simple and look nice with the gravel between. I need a few more to "change the pattern" a bit. They are very heavy, perhaps 50 lbs each

      That T-bar lug wrench is very well made. Forged and polished. There is a spring loaded indent to register the bar in the middle or the end for more torque. It is much stronger than my 4-way spanner too, which I bent somehow.

      Princess Auto, here in Canada is sort of like Harbor Freight. We don't have HF here

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  8. Looks like the weather is nice! Boy, your tools look very neat and organized!!

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    1. Kathy:

      it was short sleeve weather in the Sun. In the shade it was a bit cool. I like to keep my tool sets intact. Every piece has its place and it goes back to its spot when you are finished. I don't like to have "missing" tools. My good sets I only use at home. I travel with cheaper tools so it won't bother me if I loan them out or they get lost.

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  9. Bob, I'll know it's truly spring when I call my mechanic to switch up the tires. I never used to run with winter tires only all season radials ... then one winter I tried a set of snows and I'll never go back even with 4X4. In the Province of Quebec winter tires are the law.
    I so appreciate all the things my sons do to help and I'm so lucky they each have their own talents ... but I love my mechanic too :o) He's actually been with me longer than the sons; as a matter of fact he was working on my car the day that number one son was born. (whoa, I'm gettin' old!)

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    1. Karen:

      I think we have a law here too where you have to have snows on all 4 wheels. No tire shop will only install 2 tires anymore. There was a huge accident a few years ago and a company went bankrupt when they got sued. No one wants the liability.

      summer tires are no good in temps below 7°c, as the rubber turns hard so you lose traction

      ps: you're not getting old, you're getting better (like a fine wine)

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  10. You do know that washing the car (and changing to summer tires) are sure ways to invite a return of winter weather? ;)

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    1. Kari:

      I didn't wash the car, so you are safe. I only washed the wheels, windows and the mirrors.

      I'm waiting for the pouring rain so I can wash the car. I have done this before. You get out your bucket of soap and wash your car. The rain washes the soap off.

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  11. "I'm waiting for the pouring rain so I can wash the car. I have done this before. You get out your bucket of soap and wash your car. The rain washes the soap off."

    ANOTHER advantage of Northwest living! As of 1 April here in Salinas, the rain faucet's in the "off" position until 1 October.

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    1. John:

      I added you to my sidebar so I don't forget to visit

      You don't have to rub it in, except I thought you were moving to Widbey Island ? Then you too can experience our NW weather

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  12. Wait...You have a compressor and are still changing tires manually... You my friend are in need of a pneumatic impact driver.. that job would then take minutes instead of an hour.. More time for mojitos..

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    1. PolarBear:

      Oy Vey ! Now why didn't I think of that ! I can hear the sound of the pneumatic impact driver now. Zip, Zip, Zip and the nuts are off, instead of busting my back spinning my T-Bar.

      I'll keep my eye out for one, I've got until Winter to buy one. Might as well get the tire dolly too so I don't get cramps rolling the tires out

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    2. This is one of those "buyer beware" moments. The cheaper impact wrenches use more air volume at a higher air pressure for a certain torque rating. Your compressor may not be able to deliver sufficient volume/pressure. Read the specs of the impact wrench and know the rating of your compressor. Also the flow rate of your regulator may be inadequate but that easy to solve by just removing it when you want to use the impact wrench. But for twice a year use, you may want to consider an electric version....

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    3. Richard:

      actually, you are right. When I bought this compressor it was only going to be used to air up tires for our cars. It is an 8 gal unit. Up here you will find that most gas stations are changing to a "pay for air" policy and I don't like to pay for the air. Plus the fact that you have to drive on low tire pressure to get to the station. I much rather just do it myself at home and not ruin the sidewalls.

      As tire pressures are more critical for our bikes, it is easier to top up the air as I check my tires frequently, and I do this before I ride anywhere while the tires are still "cold"

      I have to check the specs on the Pneumatic driver. My compressor tops out at 100 psi (high limit) but I forget the air flow rating. I'll have to see. I don't mind buying a higher capacity one but I don't have a lot of storage space. When the construction is over I could probably permanently mount one in the carport, except it is going to be replaced soon too. I guess I could mount one inside the basement and put a fitting outside as most hoses are 100 ft

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  13. +1 on the difference between dedicated snow tires and "all season" tires....dedicated snow tires make all the difference on slippery stuff! And, they sure wear fast when used in warm weather....

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    1. Dom:

      Right you are. Most people think that you need snow tires for snow but really it's because of the low temperatures which make the rubber hard and loss of traction

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  14. An annual ritual for many North Wetsters. The tire changeover. We just had fresh all seasons mounted, and drove 1 day (actually about 3.5 hrs) in snow last winter. Looking forward to your next riding post.

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    1. Chris:

      Too bad we missed you when you came to town to visit Greece. I think we're nearly OUT of Winter now so no more tire changes until late October

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  15. Hey Bob, It's hard to segue from Spring to Cache, but the Stromtrooper Cache is coming your direction if you are interested..
    http://www.stromtrooper.com/north-america/80476-strom-cachers-usa-canada-revived.html

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    1. Ken:

      I'm not sure what I would do with it. I don't have a GPS capable of geocaching but thank you anyway

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  16. My snow tires will stay firmly on for about another month, although most years, this is the time I switch over too. That was very nice of your son to help you out, you have raised him well by the sounds of it!

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    1. Suzu:

      I couldn't believe it when I saw you just had another storm. When will it stop ? I hope you will be able to switch to summer tires soon so you can go riding

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